The human brain responds in the other direction. Just like you did. In fact, your reaction was nearly identical to the majority, who chose 1% as the best response. In real life, there are good reasons to make 1% annual ridership a design spec for a future space transportation system. I'm sure you can think of reasons why.

As for the Canadian oil supply, a larger fraction of tar sand is being added to the mix to extend our conventional oil supplies. We have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and in 2006 are introducing clean diesel regulations so that more vehicles can take advantage of increased fuel economy without increasing air pollution. In addition there are now more than 600 bioethanol fuelling stations across Canada, and new bioethanol production coming online. Biofuels are becoming more important as time goes on, with research being conducted in our nation's capital for the reduction of agricultural and forestry residues to fermentable forms. The market for biofuels is gigantic, even in Canada. Bioethanol could be made cheaper if tariffs on Brazilian sugarcane were removed, whereby they could easily double their production of cheap, easily fermentable, sugar overnight with a guaranteed biofuel market in North America.